


Peanut Butter and Marshmallows

by Maren_Emilie



Series: TUA One-Shots [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Five read Vanya's book in the apocalypse, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Sibling Vanya Hargreeves, Mentioned Allison Hargreeves, Mentioned Ben Hargreeves, Mentioned Diego Hargreeves, Mentioned Klaus Hargreeves, Mentioned Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Vanya's book, claire and patrick are also vaugely mentioned, claire andpatrick are also vaugely mentioned, wholesome siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22158847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maren_Emilie/pseuds/Maren_Emilie
Summary: Five finds Vanya's book in the ruins of a library in the apocalypse.  He reads it at least seven times.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: TUA One-Shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1532015
Comments: 5
Kudos: 167





	Peanut Butter and Marshmallows

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like it kinda went "off the rails" at the end and I just kinda forgot where I actually wanted this to go lol

Five finds Vanya's book in the ruins of a library in the apocalypse. He reads it at least seven times.

It hasn't been a long time since he got here, and the image of his siblings, all grown up, bodies laying in the rubble of the academy. (All except Vanya and Ben. He spends hours searching for them, not even sure if he actually wants to find them. He doesn’t.) The tattoos in their wrists are unmistakable. At least they'd been together.

It happened on April 1st. That’s what the newspaper says, at least. How ironic.

Five had cried until his voice was hoarse, raw and barely usable. There was no one to hear him there anyway.

Ben died a few years after he left. Or as Vanya had phrased it, “disappeared”. The book doesn’t give many details about it. It only says it was bad. That’s enough for Five. He doesn’t think he could handle it anyway.

He keeps the book. Along with a few magazine clippings about Allison and her daughter, Claire. He had a niece. And then she had died before he even had the chance to meet her. It stings. It really does. 

He can’t help but wonder what would have happened if he never left.

The book stays with him at all times. He writes down equations in it, filling the pages to the brim, determined to get back to them again. He’ll stop the apocalypse and save them all. It’s not that easy though. Apparently it’s much harder to travel backwards in time than forward. It takes him 45 years. 

The apocalypse is eventually averted, although with a few bumps in the road along the way. His siblings help, albeit begrudgingly at times. All is fine. All is well. The world is saved.

He finds the book in a shelf in the academy. There’s a small message for their father from Vanya, but otherwise looks untouched. He takes it to his room and reads it. Even though he doesn’t really need to. He already knows everything written in it.

— 

Vanya passes by his room later that evening. She pauses outside Five’s door, curious, when she hears quiet sniffling. She frowns, brows knitting together in confusion. 

She hesitates for a moment, debating whether she should interfere or not. She can hardly remember ever seeing or hearing Five cry when they were small. Five had always been a very private person and she isn’t sure if he’ll want company right now. Despite all of this, she eventually decides to go in anyway.

“Five?” she mumbles, carefully pushing the wooden door open.

The sniffling stops abruptly and he is quick to wipe his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform jacket. He quickly schools his expression into his usual frown. 

“Yes?” he asks her indifferently from where he’s sitting on his bed. “What is it?”

She notices the book in his lap, and upon further inspection, she notices that it’s her book. She raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything about it.

Instead she asks, “Are you okay?”

Five scoffs and cocks his head at her, but smiles. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

Vanya glances around the room which is in some desperate need of some changes (It was left untouched for 17 years after all.), before looking down at her feet. She can’t help but feeling small, even in Five’s presence and even though they used to be fairly close as children. It’s something she’s working on.

“It’s just that you sounded upset,” she tells him.

Five purses his lips and looks down the book in his lap that she now sees is full of wet spots on the paper, almost smudging the ink. “Oh,” is all he says quietly.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she tells him as she gently closes the door behind her and sits down on the bed next to him. “You can talk to me. Like how you did for me when we were young.”

Five smiles and Vanya can’t help but crack a small smile too at that.

She puts her hand on his knee and says, in a soft, gentle voice, “You’re allowed to cry too, y’know.”

Something at that seems to crack Five’s demeanour, his expression crumbling before her. He lets out a hopeless sob that makes Vanya’s chest squeeze uncomfortably. She pulls him against her chest out of pure instinct, securely wrapping her arms around him. Her chin rests on top of his head. He doesn’t fight her. At all.

“I didn’t  _ mean _ to leave,” he says through gasping breaths.

“I know,” she replies, just loud enough for him to hear.

She removes the book from his limp hold, noticing that it’s on the page about her leaving sandwiches for him. She purses her lips, closes the book gently and puts it down next her on the bed. He’d told her he had found the book in the apocalypse, so why he was reading it puzzles her.

“I missed you,” he gasps. “So much.”

Vanya rubs his arm comfortingly. “I missed you too.”

They sit there for a while without saying much as she just lets him cry. However long he needs to. This stays between them, and them only. Just like old times.

Vanya wonders if this is the first hug he’s gotten since he got stuck in the apocalypse. She squeezes him tighter, her heart aching at the thought. Five never was one for a lot of physical contact and affection, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t want any, right? Vanya imagines she’d like to be held too if she spent 45 years all alone. 

She knows she has wanted to hug him the last 16 years at least. And even though she didn’t imagine it going like this she’s happy to have him back. Even if he’s a little older, but still young. And even though he’s a bit messed up and a little erratic at times. She’s tremendously grateful to have her brother back. Even like this.

After a few minutes he starts to calm down again. Sobs reduced to sniffles. Vanya humms and says, “You know, my offer about that therapist still stands.”

“Okay,” is all he says, but it’s enough for her. She smiles.

“And uh,” he begins after a while of silence. “Thank you for, um, the sandwiches and stuff. Even if I didn’t get to eat any of them. It was nice of you.”

Vanya humms again with a lazy smile on her lips.

“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if I never left?”

Vanya’s brows raise in surprise at the question. “Um, yeah, sometimes,” she replies then asks, “Do you?”

“Mhmm,” Five humms. “Maybe Ben wouldn’t have died if I was there or something? But at the same time I wouldn’t have been able to warn you guys about the apocalypse if I never left.”

Vanya humms understandingly. “What matters is that you’re here now. And that we’re all safe,” Vanya says. “We were very worried about what had happened to you. We don’t know what would have happened and there’s no reason to dwell on it.”

Five laughs softly. “How poetic.” he asks and Vanya chuckles. “Shut up.”

“This is nice,” he says, and Vanya agrees. “Yeah it is,” She says.

“Thank you.”

Vanya smiles. “You’re welcome.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feel free to check out my other work and follow me on my socials
> 
> Wattpad - maren-emilie  
> Instagram - @marencantdraw  
> Twitter - @marenemilie03  
> Tumblr - maren-emilie.tumblr.com


End file.
